


Dragmire's Return

by Skelebabe1993



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Ancient curses, Demise (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Future Fic, Good Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda), History, Hybrids, I Tried, Kinda, Magic, Malice - Freeform, Mild Angst, Modern Fic, Past Lives, Regret, Rehydrated, Smut, Timeline Shenanigans, Zelda - Freeform, botw, champions mentioned - Freeform, fast burn, fused souls, link - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 11:00:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22494985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skelebabe1993/pseuds/Skelebabe1993
Summary: There's been the cycle.  The princess of Hyrule.  The Demon King who invades.  And the Hero who defeats the demon.  Time and time again this cycle continued.  The cycle had finally come to a halt.  Peace reigned.  The legends were forgotten.  A young woman goes in search of the past, and finds something she did not expect.  The Demon King himself, but is he really the evil tyrant that history has painted him to be?  What if he was more?
Relationships: Ganondorf/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 12





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone. This is my first Legend of Zelda fanfiction. I do hope you enjoy it. If you have anything to add or ask, please leave a comment. This will be a short story. Probably at most three chapters long.

Dominia’s POV

“One more thing for the bag.” I said to myself as I slipped another bottle of stamina elixer into a pouch in my worn traveling bag. The heavy duty cloth thick and smelled of herbs and decaying leaves. I readjusted my belt across my waist. Double checking for the Sheikah Slate on my left hip. I patted it gently as I felt it’s familiar weight on my hip. I was always paranoid that the thing would fly off the holster there, even though it never had before.

I lifted up the device and turned on the screen. The familiar ping sounded and I opened the inventory menu. I checked my stock of arrows, bows, swords, daggers, and a few shields. Then I went through my clothing inventory and selected my usual blue hylian top and black gerudo voe leggings. I had a snowquill feather hair piece resting above my ear and the ribbons woven around two locks of my ruby red hair. The rest of my hair was pinned back into a high ponytail along with some gerudo hairpins and flowed down my back in red waves.

I walked over to my bathroom mirror and grinned. Enjoying the look as I preened a bit. While I inherited my mother’s gerudo hair and resilience to the sun with my nicely tanned skin, I had my father’s sheikah nose, pointed ears, and red eyes. I was one of the few people in the world who was an actual mix between races. Most who had mixed race parentage ended up looking like one parent or the other. I got lucky though and had some of both my parents. 

My little brother though, did not get the same look. Instead he looked pure shikah like our dad. My mom had expected me to look more gerudo as I aged into adulthood, but I never gained her prominent nose or her stronger muscled figure. Instead I had a mix of lean muscles all over me. Even with training I never gained a six pack like my mother has. Instead I chose to spread out my skills and learn several styles of fighting like our ancestors did.

I, like my father before me inherited the Sheikah Slate as I came of age and became head of our family. I also inherited the ancient abilities passed down through our bloodline. Though through the ages, much of the knowledge of these items and powers were has been lost, I’ve made it my personal mission to learn all I can about the past and it’s secrets. The abilities I wield should be a set of four, but I’ve only been able to unlock two of them. One by accident and the other...well also by accident, but it was also from part of my gerudo combat training.

I’d been training with a set of double blades by myself in the desert and got ambushed by a pack of electric lizalfos. I’d done my best to fight them off but one of them got me with a shock arrow. It had left me curled up on the ground in agony. The five of them had moved in closer to me and were surely about to eat me before I felt something stir inside me. I latched onto that feeling and leaped up. Stabbing at one of the lizalfos before charging up an attack to get them to back off. Only when I did this I felt a strange power surrounding me like a bubble before spreading out. I let loose my first strike, only to hear a large crackling noise before the world around me lit up with bright yellow electricity and strange green flames. When the light faded, all the lizalfos had collapsed onto the ground and were squirming from my own electricity going through them before bursting into a cloud of malice.

It had honestly been a terrifying experience and I soon learned that the ability I’d used was once known as a Champion’s Ability. The abilities were part of a set of four that were seen as a sacred ability passed down from generation to generation. My father showed me the one ability he’d unlocked himself. He’d created a massive gale of wind under his feet that sent him flying into the air with a speed that could outshine any rito. His own mother had the ability to cast a barrier around herself and protect herself from oncoming attacks. 

I shook my head as I beat down my nostalgia. Now was not the time to be reliving my past, I had digging to do to find stuff from long before my time. I double checked my food inventory and nodded at the surplus of food I’d saved in the stasis storage of the piece of tech in my hands. I set it back on my waist before grabbing my travelers bag. I checked my cell phone and saw a missed call from my little brother. Ugh… I dialed him as I stood near the door.

“Hey sis.” He said as he answered.

“Whatcha need? I’m about to head out”. I said as I tapped my foot impatiently.

“I’m off to get some more research done Kyro. I told you this yesterday back at home. I was following a lead on the Zonai Tribe down here in Faron. Besides, mom still needs you and dad for archery lessons with thoses rito kids tomorrow right”? I asked as he groaned. While he didn’t have any of the abilities, he had a knack for aerial archery like our dad. He’d use dad’s gale and fly up before pulling out his paraglider to steady himself. Then he’d use his favorite bow to send volley after volley of arrows until each of the target’s looked like pincushions.

“You know you need to be back home by the weekend right? We’re gathering at gramma’s and grampa’s place in Medoh City for the holidays this year. So try not to get lost again.” He said with a chuckle.

“That was one time and you know it. I was sixteen and I was only lost for one day!” I groaned angrily.

“You almost died”. 

“But I didn’t die and I found another ability. Look. I know you hate the Wilds, but I love it out there. The city feels so stifling and packed. The Wilds are open and I can be myself rather than the strange hybrid looking girl. I find joy in learning about kingdoms past and the tales of the goddess and the hero. If it makes you feel better, I’ve got the warp pad for Medoh City highlighted. If anything bad happens, I’ll teleport straight there okay?” I said as I paced back and forth.

“Fine. Just...stay safe sis…” He said quietly. I smiled softly.

“I will little bro. Try not to pluck out all of Grandpa’s feathers in aggravation okay?” I said jokingly as he groaned. Family reunions were always “fun”. I hung up the phone and put it back in my bag before walking out of the hotel room I’d been staying in. I headed down the hallway and towards the receptionist. She was a pretty zora lady with emerald green scales and jewelry adorning her form. She smiled warmly up at me.

“How was your stay ma’am? 

“It was great. Here’s the room key back”. I said as I handed her the little plastic card. She took it and typed a few things into the computer. 

“Alright. You’re good to go. We hope to see you again soon”. 

“I’m sure you will. See ya.” I said as I headed out the door. The smell of the ocean filling my nose as I looked out to the nice little town of Laurelin. The place was popular for its nature and lovely beaches. I used my slate to bring out an old friend. A motorcycle that was shaped like a unicorn formed in front of me in a swirling mist of blue light. I checked the tank and added a few monster parts to fill it up before hopping on. 

I grabbed the handles and enjoyed the way the engine purred under me. I grinned in excitement before easing into a decent speed as I drove out of the town limits and into the wild. I smiled to myself as I made my way through the jungle area of the Faron region, slowly picking up pace as I sped across the ground. Even zooming over the great bridge with little thought.

I passed through the region after several hours of driving. I ended up taking a break under a large tree where I ate a couple of meat skewers and drank from my water pouch. I then refilled my ride and used the restroom before taking off again through Central Hyrule. I giggled to myself as I did a few jumps for giggles, even scaring off a few wild horses as I went past the Great Plateau. Hyrule City off the the north looked like a raised beacon of light in the evening light as I drove closer to my destination.

It wasn’t until nightfall that I finally got to the ridge I was looking for. The cannion looked so vast and threatening almost as I stood on the edge of the cliff. I put away the cycle before grabbing my paraglider. I took a running start before leaping into the air and catching the wind. I grinned in excitement as I flew down towards the ground. I saw what looked to be Zonai ruins at the far end of the canyon so I angled myself to fly in that direction. I checked for any monsters nearby as I landed on the opening to the structure. 

The stone structure was absolutely ancient, but it was obviously built to last. I rested a hand on the cool stone and pulled out a torch. I looked over the ancient markings and saw a few familiar characters that I’d recorded before. Seal, death, malice. 

“Hmmm… Usually the others have structure, fertility, and life on them. This one seems to have similar writings to the statues in Faron.” I said to myself as I grabbed a pen and notepad before jotting down the symbols and others that I’d try to decipher later. I took a few pictures with the shiekah slate as well before heading deeper into the structure. 

I saw some old withered guardians lying about. Thankful that the things had long since lost their power source millennia ago. I hopped down the stone wall and kept making notes as I looked around. I even found a few loose guardian parts to take home. I’d be able to sell some of these to the Akkala Research Facility later. 

I climbed through another hole in the structure and found a similar room to the last one I’d been in. After a couple hours of looking around and taking photographs in the two rooms, I headed into the final chamber. I gasped in surprise at the huge monolith statue of the Goddess Hylia. Covered in fine green moss in various patches on her form, her face still shone proudly within the structure. And in front of the goddess stood a deactivated shrine. The glow from the structure having gone to sleep after so many years of disuse. I walked up to the shrine and pulled out my shiekah slate before activating the structure once more. The shrine lit up a bright blue all over and while the doors remained sealed, the travel gate lit up; ready to be used.

“Good. I’ll be able to come back here later and take more notes. Hopefully I can find more pieces of the ancient languages here and make a fully restored alphabet.” I said to myself in excitement. I walked around the room a bit more. Taking note of the writing and gathering a few more pictures. I then put my phone and sheikah slate away before walking up to the statue. The towering being making me feel unbelievably small. 

While I wasn’t sure if all the legends were real, I felt that perhaps the goddess was. Unlike some of the religions of the neighboring countries, Hylia wasn’t known for being perfection. She suffered, and coveted. She was said to have given up her immortal form and became a hylian. And her descendants carried on her bloodline through the ages. Though no one knew who carried the blood of the goddess now. That last known Zelda was the last princess over five thousand years ago. 

It was also the downfall of the last known kingdom of Hyrule. After that the land became self governed. Eventually a democratic republic formed from the growing cities and towns. Hyrule City becoming the epicenter of the government with an elected council from each of the races. Seven members who worked to keep the peace between everyone. Hylian, Rito, Goron, Gerudo, Shikah, Zora and Kokiri or Korok. The Korok were originally Kokiri, and some of them had become Kokiri again while the rest remained as the forest spirits known as Koroks. 

I looked up at the statue once more before bowing my head. My lips whispering a soft prayer for the continued peace and joy of Hyrule and all those who lived in it. After a moment I lifted my head back up and smiled softly. Even if she didn’t exist and we had to do the work ourselves, this place had a feeling to it that felt strangely comforting to me.

I took a few minutes to set out a bedroll made from super plush rito feathers. A friend of mine had woven it herself with her yearly molt two years ago. I set out a couple pillows and made a small campfire before cooking a small omelette to eat. I enjoyed my food and relaxed on my small spot before drifting off to sleep for the night.

~O~O~O~O~O~

I woke up slowly. A few stray beams of light peeking through the cracks in the ceiling of the temple. I ate quietly as I packed up my stuff. I’d probably come back here again in a few weeks once the holiday season died down and people went back to their normal schedules. I would need to take the time to go over some books and write down more things for my next book. My publisher was getting a bit antsy with my constant moving around. 

After I had everything packed away I did another once over of the room. Looking for anything I may have missed in the darkness last night. I felt surprise go through me when I saw something that didn’t quite seem right behind the goddess statue. I made my way over to it and wiggled my way behind the monolith. It seemed to be some sort of mechanism. Strange. I tugged on the mechanism and found it was a lever. A door behind the statue opened up. 

I felt my mouth drop in shock as dust fluttered to the floor. Now this is something I’ve been searching for! I grabbed my torch and lit it before stepping into the entrance. I walked slowly as I took one easy step at a time deeper and deeper into the darkness. I didn’t see any writing on the walls here though. And the stone was strangely smooth.

I completely froze though, when I heard a sudden cracking noise. Oh no…

The ground under my feet crumbled away almost instantly and I felt myself quickly drop. I dropped my torch in the darkness as I tried to get out my paraglider. Only to scream as I crashed into a wall and go tumbling haphazardly as I continued to fall. Pain blossomed all over me as the last thing I remembered was a voice in my head as the wind whistled loudly in my ears.

**_“...elp...e....”_ **

~O~O~O~O~O~

Pain. Pain everywhere. I tried to sit up, crying out in agony as I felt my arm give out under me. I tried to call on my healing power and sighed in relief as I saw green flames and blue bubbles surround me. Warmth filled me as I felt my body heal from the damage I’d taken. With the light from the flames around me I grabbed a spare torch from my inventory and lit it. The flames faded away along with the bubbles and I felt better than before.

I gasped as I saw the ruined pieces of my paraglider on the ground a few feet away from me. I picked up the fragmented remains before storing them away in my inventory. I would need to purchase one when I found a way out of here.

. . .

If there was a way out of here.... Wait! I still had my shiekah slate! I grabbed the device and brought up the map with the teleportation spots. 

...Only to find that the map was showing a fuzzy screen of static…

“Oh no…. No, no, no, no!” I said as I checked the slate over for damage. Did the fall break it?! I brought back up the inventory and saw that it was working just fine. Then I checked the runes and saw that they were working just fine as well. Did this place have some sort of barrier around it to keep people from teleporting out? That was the only thing I could think of.

Either way, I couldn’t sit around and do nothing. I pulled out my phone and tried to see if I had any signal here. And as expected, there were no bars. I grumbled to myself in agitation as I pocketed my phone. I checked to see if any of my other things were damaged from the fall. Sadly a few of my stamina and health elixters had broken in my bag. Though I still had several more. I ended up setting up a small camp as I took the time to clean out the broken glass from my bag carefully and clean it. Thankfully no holes were made.

I then took the time to eat something and make sure my health and stamina were full as well. Thankfully the shiekah slate kept track of that sort of stuff. I felt a sense of uneasiness building up inside of me. Something wasn’t right here. I also felt a strange urge to hurry up and go forward, but my unease made me hesitant.

I took a deep breath as I tried to rationalize my situation. I had plenty of food, water, potions, and other items. I had weapons in case of attack, and I had abilities to help me along the way. While my magic was certainly not my best ability, I could use some small spells. My brother on the other hand was excellent with Shiekah magic. I was better suited for combat and stealth though in comparison.

I used a small spell that would help me see if there was malice nearby. That way monsters wouldn’t be able to get the jump on me. As the spell activated, I screamed as I was overloaded with information. The spell cut off and I fell to my knees. 

“How…?” There was so much malice here that it overwhelmed me completely. In the second or so I’d been able to see, I saw that it seemed to originate from a single point. It was spider webbing out. Acting like snaking fingers and infecting anything that came close. A thought popped into my head.

Was this the source of malice in Hyrule?

Had I actually found the source of all the pain and misery throughout the ages. If I found the source of the malice...and somehow destroyed it, I could ensure that peace continued. Had the goddess answered my prayer? Excitement and wonder filled me as I felt a giddy feeling fill my chest.

**_“...He...me...se…”_ ** I froze as I heard a strange voice fill my head. Who...or what was that?

“Hello? Is someone there? Show yourself.” I said as I stood back up. I unsheathed my travelers sword as I looked around. All I could see though was my lit torch resting on the ground and a small bit of the tunnel I was in. I reached down to grab my torch as I moved towards the wall. I saw more Zonai drawings, but there were others here too. Shiekah and Gerudo...and another I wasn’t familiar with. 

I took a few pictures as I slowly started making my way down the path. I passed by a few luminous stone ores. They helped light the way as I went deeper and deeper into the underground. I found a few sets of rough stairs and some more of the wall drawings. It was when I found a pool of malice that I had to stop. The pool had completely covered the staircase in front of me.

It bubbled thickly. Small particles floating up off of it and infecting the air as well. Seeing it made me nauseous. I sheathed my sword and held out my right hand. This puddle was small enough, so maybe I could get rid of it. I focused my magic into my hand, green energy flowed around it lightly and condensed at my fingertips.

“Okay. I hope this works.” I said to myself as I pushed. The magic built up in my hands flowed outwards and into the malice. It sank into it and the stuff gave off a pained scream before shrinking a bit. It seemed to bubble up more and even looked like it wanted to grab at me. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. The magic flowing from my hand burning a bit brighter as it surrounded the goo. I didn’t notice the slight golden glow that merged with the green before the malice faded in a puff of smoke.

I panted as I nearly fell forward. I let go of the magic as I tried to catch my breath. Nausea still filled me. The world felt like it was wobbling under me. Wait...maybe that wasn’t me. The tremors grew stronger as I grabbed onto a pillar to steady myself. The ground shook one last time before calming.

Well...that was certainly something… Did I cause that? I held my forehead as a headache started throbbing. I needed to rest after that, but not on these stairs. I pushed onward and felt myself growing more and more exhausted by the minute. I soon found a flat area that had several luminous stones along the ground. I quickly set up a small campfire and set out my bedroll again. I took a few painkillers for my headache and ate some of my saved fish. It didn’t take long for sleep to take me after that.

~O~O~O~O~O~

Darkness. Sinking darkness and pressure. Hands at my throat. One had it’s claws dug into my chest. Five knives digging into my flesh that sapped my strength. Yet it wasn’t enough. Poison seeped out of me. Infecting everything it touched. I was so tired. I wanted to sleep. The darkness was suffocating. What was warmth? What was cold? What was touch other than pain?

I couldn’t remember.

Flashes. Lives long gone. Stories long told. Memories long buried beneath a sea of hatred.

I was so tired.

. . . 

. . .

. . . .

...Something changed…

**_...Help me please..._ **

~O~O~O~O~O~

I jolted awake with a gasp. My hand pressing down on my chest at the feeling of the pain there. What was that? Empty yet crushing darkness. Pain. I tried to take in deep even breaths as I felt sweat drip down my face. What sort of dream was that? I never had a dream like that before. It took a few moments before I finally relaxed. Ugh, but now I really needed to bathe. After being down here for two days and all the dirt I surely had accumulated on my person, I’d need a good bath. Hopefully I’d be able to find something rather than having to use my stored water.

I packed up my things again while munching on a fish skewer. I stretched for a moment before continuing on my way. I had even stopped looking at the various writings on the walls as I trudged along. This place felt like it was draining me, but I certainly couldn’t turn back now. I nearly cried when I found a small river that dropped into a set of shallow pools. I did a bit of observing and saw that the pools collected into another spot that dropped to a sheer waterfall that vanished into the darkness below.

“Note to self, don’t go near that”. I muttered as I headed to one of the upper pools. I stripped off my clothes and put them on some sticks before submerging them into the water. The current would help clean them as I bathed. Then I’d properly wash them with some soap once I finished that. I set up another campfire though to help with lighting and to use for drying off when I finished.

I sank into the chilly water with a content sigh. It felt so refreshing after what I’d gone through. Though I’d kill for a nice hot shower or a soak in a hot tub. I took a few moments to pull out all the clips from my hair and remove my jewelry before sinking under the water completely. I sat up and grabbed a hair wash bar and started lathering up my hair. The scent of warm safflina and wild berries filled my nose as I bathed contently. Even considering the situation I was in, the act of bathing was surely one of the best ways to calm me down.

I soon rinsed off my hair and grabbed a body wash bar to treat the rest of me to the same feeling. After several minutes of bathing I climbed out of the pool and padded over to the fire. I stored away my soap before getting out my laundry bar. I then went back over to clean my clothes well enough. My clothes now smelling like fresh herbs and cool safflina. After rinsing them off I set them out to dry by the fire and worked on refilling the water pouches in my inventory.

After everything dried, I redressed and smiled. I felt so much better after that. I felt like I could take on the world almost. I grinned as I grabbed my torch again and continued on my way. I had no clue just how deep I was going, but I found myself surprised when I found a room that was filled with paintings. Most had faded over the years, and others looked fine. But the treasure along the floor seemed like something out of a movie.

“...This has got to be a trap… There’s no way…” I groaned to myself at the sight of all the glittering gold, silver and gems. It was best to not even touch it until I could find a way out. Otherwise I might end up doing a dumb and killing myself. I backed away from the room, but took a picture regardless. I soon found a few other rooms. Even one that was full to the brim with clay pots. I felt a strange urge to smash the shit out of all of them. I even caught myself taking an unconscious step forward towards them.

“No. No smash.” I forced myself around and turned away. I kept walking, now ignoring the rooms in case I found another one like that. Soon though I found myself in what appeared to be a large clean cut hallway. The stone here had the same smooth look as the entrance behind the goddess statue up above. Maybe this was the exit! I grinned excitedly as I charged forward. Only to freeze when I heard a strange sound around me.

Something about it was familiar. Almost like chanting, but distorted and warped. I saw a flicker of movement from the corner of my eye and turned to see a wisp of malice crawling across the ground like heavy smoke. 

“What the hell?” I slowly backed away from it as it seemed to creep closer to me. Oh shit. I continued on ahead, dodging more trails of malice as I followed the voice. It seemed to slowly get louder and I felt something thrumming in my chest other than my frantically beating heart. I found the exit to the hallway and ran through, surprised to find myself in what appeared to be a huge chamber of sorts. The ceiling obviously over several dozen meters tall. And at the center of the room was a spectral tornado of green magic that looked to be forming various symbols. Down at the bottom it seemed to be going into a glowing thing on top of something.

I couldn’t really see what it was from my vantage point. So I hopped down from the ledge I stood on and slowly got closer. As I neared the magic vortex, I saw the magic was going into what appeared to be a glowing arm with gold pieces adorning it. And I gasped at the sight of what the arm was grabbing onto. The first thing that caught my eye was the fiery red hair and the gold jewelery. One piece sticking out more so than the rest. A gerudo crest. This thing was sealing a gerudo.

Who was she?

I balked when I got closer though. The gerudo was little more than a shriveled husk, but the body shape and clothing...this gerudo was male. A real male gerudo. There hadn’t been a male gerudo born for eons. The last recorded one was …. oh no…

Ganondorf Dragmire. The last king of the gerudo.


	2. The Resurrection

The Demon King. King of Thieves. King of the Gerudo. The Dragmire. The Phantom. The Calamity.

Ganon.

So many names over history. Many lost to the tides of time. I’d found tales of him secreted away in old books, scrolls, and paintings. Tales of an everlasting war between the three bearers of the Triforce. Was this man truly The Ganondorf? I held my torch shakily as I grew closer. I looked over the body with rapt fascination.

The body had shrunken in on itself, seemingly mummified in the strange position under the hand that dug its fingers into its chest. The position looked painful to be honest. I also took notice of a few small areas that were shrunken in even more than others. They appeared to be scars. I looked up at the shrunken in face and saw what could only be a look of pain.

I then looked back up to the hand that was glowing with green magic. I felt my heart pounding harder in my chest the more I looked at it. A low hum filled my ears as the edges of my vision blurred.

**_Grab it._ **

**_Break it._ **

**_Free me!_ **

I took ahold of the hand. Heat seared through me as I screamed. I could only watch as the strange green symbols floated at a faster pace and sank into my own arm. The burning grew worse and worse as a scream ripped through my throat. The sound of my heartbeat thudded heavily in my ears before I collapsed back onto the ground. A pained groan coming from me as the world felt like it was distorting.

After a few moments though I started to regain focus. The room stopped spinning and my heartbeat slowed down as I felt the burn in my arm slowly fade. I looked up in surprise at the sudden crackling sound. I watched in fascination as the body that had been held by the strange green hand earlier was slowly straightening up. The sockets on the face lit up with slitted red and orange eyes that stared into my soul with pure hatred.

I felt fear fill me as I scooted back away from him. Was I about to die down here? No! I was a gerudo and shiekah dammit! I forced myself to stand as I felt electricity crackle around my hands. I felt my hair stand up on end as the power inside me surged along my form. I was strong. I felt something shift inside me. The husk slowly walked towards me. His hands reached out as his jaw opened. A rattling groan escaping from between his fangs.

Pain flared between my eyes and spread out along my head. The magic I’d been building up before changed and shifted around me in a violent whirlwind. I could feel my own hair whipping me from the force of the power surrounding me. Flashes of light filled my mind. 

A vast desert.

A frozen mountain.

A lush field.

A great sea.

A realm of shadows.

Caves, lava, mountains, snow, sand, water. So many places swirling together and making a collage of colors in my head.

Then there were the faces.

Women and men. Each of them slightly different, yet all of them had similar traits. Eyes full of anger and pain. An innocent smile that didn’t reach the eyes. Eyes that held such age to them, that they were vast pools of anguish. Some smiling warmly, others grimacing in anger. Crying, screaming, pleading. Laughing, singing, humming. Love and hatred all mixing together in a vast cacophony of life and death. It was too much. Three beings. Thousands of lifetimes. 

I felt a pair of hands rest on my shoulders that tore a scream from me as light filled my vision. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t feel anything. All that remained was light and echoes of voices that fell on deafening ears. I welcomed the darkness as I finally got to rest.

**_. . . We did it . . ._ **

**_. . . Finally . . ._ **

~O~O~O~O~O~

I came to slowly. My body felt stiff all over. I couldn’t really see anything and the few luminous stones around didn’t provide enough light. I managed to grab my slate and turn it on before grabbing a flameblade I’d saved. With the light from it I found my torch and relit it before looking around. A gasp escaped me when I saw him.

The husk was gone. In its place was an attractive looking man who appeared to be unconscious. He was sprawled on the floor of the cave and breathing softly. I moved closer carefully as I looked him over. He was tall, easily seven or eight feet. Taller than even most gerudo females. Certainly taller than my hybrid self at only just over five feet tall. He had thick muscles along his body that were adorned with the gerudo jewelry. His waist was thankfully covered with a colorful wrapped loincloth. His chest had a deep looking scar that marred the dark flesh; right where the hand had been.

I bit my lip as I contemplated my choices. If he really was Ganondorf...I could kill him. He was unconscious. It would honestly be easy to destroy his mortal form here. I knew enough of the legends to know what he was capable of. My own family’s history had painted him as a demon. 

. . .

No. It didn’t seem right. I would only fight if he attacked me first. For now I would need to do something else. I got up and set out my bedroll. I picked him up carefully, thanking all the goddesses that he didn’t wake up as I set him down onto the more comfortable spot I made him. I almost couldn’t pick him up due to his size, simply because he dwarfed me. I imagined it probably looked hilarious to see a tiny woman carrying a large man bridal style onto a bed… And stomp that thought out of your head now! I then turned on my heel and went to set up a fire to make some food for the both of us. Surely he’d be hungry after so long down here.

It didn’t take long until I heard a familiar snorting sound. He sounded like my brother did when food was cooking in the morning. I felt myself grin as a soft moan came from behind me. I turned to face him as he opened his eyes. Instead of the terrifying orange and red from before, I was met with deep gold. Albeit droopy from his sudden return to the waking world.

“Hello.” I spoke softly. He jolted a bit as he turned to face me. His expression was wary and nervous. It was a strange sight. Seeing such a powerful looking man seem meek. I spoke again.

“I made some food. I’ve also got milk, a couple things of juice and plenty of water. I’m sure you’re famished.” I continued to speak softly. His expression was still wary, but a hint of exasperation came over his face.

“After...however long it’s been. Of course I’m starving.” Oh my stars he had a rich deep voice that practically vibrated through my head. I put down that little impulse with the force of a megaton hammer. No. Bad Dominia.

“From what I’ve been able to tell. Between fifteen to twenty thousand years. Rough estimate though. I’ve still got more to decipher. But for now, time to eat.” I said as I offered him a steaming bowl of rice and meat. He took it gently. I got my own bowl and started eating quietly. He paused for a moment, watching me before he started to eat slowly. I got to see though as the first bite registered and saw that he nearly cried. He seemed to savor every bite as he made his way through the bowl. After we both finished we sat in silence for a bit.

“What is your name?” He asked as I packed away the dirty dishes to clean later. I paused and turned back to him.

“Dominia. And you’re Ganondorf yes”? I asked in return. He nodded.

“Yes. At least that’s who I used to be. It’s strange… I’m still trying to process this. I haven’t felt this light in...eons...even before I was sealed here… My memories are usually clear. Each of my reincarnations remembering the last and so on. The hatred in me building more and more with each generation… But I don’t feel anything. No hatred at all...no anger… The closest I came to this was when my princess tried to break the curse on me...but in the end even that didn’t work...it came back and took over” He said solemnly. His hands covering his head as he looked down at his lap.

“Curse? What sort of curse?” I asked softly as I sat down next to him.

“Demise’s curse. The curse that would make Hylia, Link, and myself forever reincarnate. That made me hate them so much. That made me try to destroy everything I touched. It’s so strange...I can’t feel it anymore”. He spoke in muted awe.

“Is the curse broken?” He turned to look at me.

“I think so. It was because of you. Somehow you broke the curse. I’m not sure how, but you did. I can only say this. Thank you. From the bottom of my heart”. He said as he turned towards me and bowed while shifting onto his knees. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

“He-hey now! You don’t need to do that. I don’t even know what I did. I was just exploring the Forgotten Temple when I ended up down here by accident. Hell I don’t even know if there’s a way out of here.” I babbled nervously. He smiled up at me softly.

“Even if you don’t know how, you still did it, and I’m grateful. Fortunately for us I know of an exit. Though my body was stuck there, I was able to learn about the world around me through the malice. I suppose that cursed essence had some use at least.” I said as he returned to a more natural seating position.

“That’s good. Cause honestly I’d kill for a hot shower now. I’m sure you’d enjoy one too”. I said as I grinned at him. He chuckled softly. 

“If you don’t mind me tagging along that is.” He paused for a moment. “I wouldn’t blame you if you chose to flee when we get out of here”. He said in resignation. I shook my head.

“Nah. You’re coming to my house. I’ve got a spare bedroom and plenty of space. Though mind you, it’s in the wilds and not in a city. At least there we can get you a proper bed and some real rest.” I said warmly. He smiled at me with gratitude. 

“Alright. Thank you small one”. I felt my left eye twitch.

“Oi. Just cause I’m short does not mean you get to call me that. I’m not calling you mountain man after all.” I huffed. He let out a laugh after looking at me in surprise.

“I take it you’ve been teased about your height before.”

“Yes…” I admitted begrudgingly. He grinned and patted my head. I snapped at him. Not really trying to hurt him, but I didn’t want him treating me like I was a child. I was twenty six for Din’s sake.

“I’m not a kid! Stahp! Either treat me like an adult or I’ll bite!” I said as he laughed. Seeing him laugh was honestly nice, even if it was at my expense. It didn’t take long for the two of us to end up chatting like old friends. I was even able to take notes on some of the old gerudo languages and writing styles. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself since I avoided the darker subjects like the curse and the reincarnation bits. We talked for a good few hours on the history of our tribe through the ages. 

Soon enough though we both became exhausted. We ate a bit more and then turned in for some rest. Thankfully my bedroll was able to be put out far enough to let us both sleep comfortably. Sleep came quickly for both of us and I found myself smiling and hopeful for the future as sleep took me under.

~O~O~O~O~O~

When we both woke up again we packed up my things together. After a quick breakfast Ganondorf pointed to another doorway off to the side opposite of where I came in.

“That’s the way to the exit. Though there are many traps, puzzles, and monsters meant to act as a safeguard against intruders.” He explained as we walked through it. The two of us made it through several of the rooms with little issue. I had to continuously catch myself from breaking things like pots or cracked walls to go looking for loot. It was difficult. Several times I caught Ganondorf looking at me strangely, though his eyes were quick to find something else to focus on.

I could have sworn I saw his dark skin change shade a bit too...was that a blush? He was probably just curious about me since I was a hybrid, as well as the first actual person he’s probably spoken to in several millennia. The blush was probably embarrassment from me catching him looking. Others have done the same. Me being an actual hybrid rather than just taking the appearance of the race of a single parent was very rare.

It was probably nothing.

After another two days of travel we got to another large room. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Ganondorf put an arm out to block my path. I looked up at him as I noticed his grim expression.

“This is home to a golden lynel. I would suggest you stand back.” He explained as he drew the golden claymore I’d given him earlier. I snorted.

“That weapon won’t do much good against one of them.” I said as I dug in my inventory for a certain elixir.

“What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that weapon is flashy and while it’s a single handed blade for someone of your size, it’s power isn’t enough for a goldie fluff butt. I’ve got this.” I said as I pulled out a large Savage Lynel Crusher, and a Savage Lynel Bow with a five shot burst. He looked at me in shock as I held the oversized weapons. Excitement made his eyes look sharper. I grinned as I stepped forward. He made a move to stop me but when the lynel dropped from its resting ledge he went quiet. 

I felt my strength increasing from the elixir I’d drank as I pulled a couple arrows from my quiver and held them in my teeth. I then grabbed my shiekah slate and used the stasis rune to freeze the lynel in place. I quickly notched a single arrow and smirked as the bow used that arrow to form four more as I took aim at the beast. I aimed at its throat hidden behind the fur of its mane. I released the bow and watched as the arrows bounced off the frozen beast before the stasis wore off. 

As it wore off, the lynel fell forward from the power of the arrows hitting its throat. It quickly moved to stand back up though as it shook its head. As it did this I charged forward and notched a second arrow. I stopped right in front of the beast; close enough to feel it’s body heat against me as I aimed straight up and let loose another shot of five arrows directly into its neck. It’s gold plated body provided enough protection to keep the arrows from being lethal, but it was damaging enough to make it fall forward again. I then twisted around it’s arm and slung my bow over my shoulder as I grabbed the crusher. 

I mounted the lynel’s back as I slammed the base of the crusher along the softer spot on the back of the thing’s neck. It tried to buck me off as I did this, but I managed to get five damaging hits in before leaping up into the air off its back. I quickly sheathed my crusher and pulled out my bow again. The world had slowed down around me to a near standstill. I grabbed my arrow and notched it before aiming at the back of his neck. This arrow though was stronger than the last one. I had notched a bomb arrow, and with the damage I’d inflicted earlier, this fight was as good as done. I braced myself as the world around me slowed down even more. I pulled the bowstring back and watched as five bomb arrows formed at the sight. I released and smirked in satisfaction as each of the arrows met their mark.

A thunderous boom filled the room as each arrow landed and exploded. Thankfully I’d leaped up far enough to avoid the blast radius myself as the world continued to move slowly around me. I watched as the lynel gave a drawn out cry as it collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap. I put away my bow as time returned to it’s normal speed. My feet landed on the ground lightly as I took a deep breath. Adrenaline pumped through my veins and the hunger for battle still coursed through me. I watched in satisfaction though as the corpse of the lynel blew apart in a cloud of malice, leaving behind the loot. I looked back to Ganondorf and was pleased to see his shocked face.

“Link…” He spoke in complete shock. What? Link? The Hero?

“The only person who had that power was Link. You just slowed time down around you. That fighting style… It’s the exact same as the boy. But how?”

“What do you mean? I thought it was just something that people can do. Rito-” He cut me off.

“Even the Rito can’t pull off a maneuver like that. That was a hidden ability of Link. Only the wielder of the Triforce of Courage can use that ability. I didn’t think about it before, but...you’re his descendant aren’t you”? I paused as I sighed softly.

“Yes. And the princess.” I said as he balked. 

“How? If you’re descended from both of them-” I cut him off this time.

“Because they fell in love and their children carried on. Eventually through the generations and mixing of bloodlines from other races, it came to my sibling, my cousins, and me. But either way, I’m no princess, nor am I a hero. I’m just an archeologist. I’m a hybrid. I’m both Gerudo, and Sheikah. I’m me.” I said as I looked up at him, hoping he wouldn’t see me as something different. Inside my mind was reeling though. I knew I was descended from the last hero and princess, but there had been no known reincarnations of the two of them since the last Calamity. I certainly didn't fit the historical looks.

If what he said is true...was I the hero reborn? But didn’t that mean I also had the blood of the goddess? I mean technically...but surely Zelda’s before had multiple children and branching families. I couldn’t be the only one. Besides, my family was quite large. My father had three siblings and each had kids of their own. Not to mention my grandparents, their siblings and so on. Surely I wasn’t the only one who had these abilities. Right?

“I’m sorry. It was rude of me to assume”. He said softly. I frowned at him. A sense of determination flared up in me.

“You know what? Even if I am one of the reincarnations, so what? I choose my fate. Besides, that stupid curse is broken, and I don’t feel like fighting you...unless you wanna spar. Then I’ll gladly hand you your big butt any day of the week.” I said as I puffed out my chest as I smirked at him. A surprised look came on his face before he nodded with a small smile growing on his lips.

“To be honest, that was quite the impressive display. You seem well versed in combat.” I blushed a bit at his praise. Fuck my innability to take a compliment gracefully.

“Yeah. I’ve hunted my fair share of monsters. Usually for parts to sell or those that I end up running into during my explorations.” I said as I fiddled with a star fragment I’d gotten from the lynel. I’d use this for an armor upgrade later. I put my goodies away and looked up at him. He was looking me over with a new expression...oh? No way…

I’d seen that look before. I was no virgin by any means and I mean, I’m part gerudo for Din’s sake. I know a look of lust when I see one. He was looking at me like I was his next meal, though he seemed to be trying to hide it. His solitude must have taken away some of his ability to school his features.

I pushed that side of me down. No. I would not take advantage of him. We needed to get out of here. I took a calming breath as I put away my weapons.

“Alright. Was that one of the last monsters we have to fight?” I asked as I pulled back out my normal travelers sword.

“Yes. In fact. There’s only a long set of corridors now and a small maze before we get to the exit.” He explained as he pointed to the other doorway. I nodded as we headed to the door and out into the next part of this huge underground labyrinth. Thankfully it only took a few more hours of walking before we made it to a large ornate metal door. I tried using magnesis on it, only to find they were locked.

“Okay. Any ideas?” He nodded.

“The princess I last knew before I was sealed down here helped make this door. Only three keys exist. The triforce. One of the bearers must open it. Courage, Wisdom, or Power. There are two hand spots. The person who is trying to open it must put both hands on them and the triforce piece inside them will open the doors.”

“So you can open it?” I asked.

“Yes. But I wish to see you try. The door was meant for either Wisdom or Courage to open it should they find a way to free me from the curse.” He explained solemnly. I frowned. He must have really been close with the two reincarnations in that last life. I took a deep breath as I walked up to the doors. I saw a place for both a right and a left hand. Slight indents in the doors that had glowing markings around them. I reached forward and placed my hands on the spots, half expecting nothing to happen.

What I didn’t expect was for both my hands to glow brightly. Two bright triforce symbols on both my hands glowing with the light of a star. My left hand glowing with the bottom right triangle glowing brighter than the other two. And my right hand glowing with the bottom left triangle glowing brightly. 

“Both? You have both?” I heard Ganondorf’s awed voice as the doors slid open with a metallic groan. I had both their pieces...I was both Wisdom and Courage… I froze as I heard a shocked gasp. I turned my head back and paled as I saw glowing green flames mixed with golden light.

Two spirits stood between Ganondorf and I. The first was a blonde woman. Her body was dressed in a white gown and her hair flowed around her in golden waves. The second was a serious looking man in green and blue. Wearing armor and a battle hardened expression. The opposite of the woman who was looking at us with warmth.

**_“You did it. I’m so glad.”_** She spoke with a melodic voice that was both soothing, and unsettling at the same time. As if this adventure couldn’t get any weirder. The goddess Hylia and the first hero Link had appeared before us.


End file.
